Somewhere Only We Know
by Just Another Wise Girl
Summary: The rings are what people live by. They tell you who to love. Who you belong with. And people never question. OR Annabeth wants a choice. And Percy might be the one. Soulmate AU. Two-shot. *Percabeth*
1. Part I: The Rings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. All rights to Rick.**

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_"Maybe 'okay' will be our 'always'"_

_-John Green, The Fault in Our Stars_

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**Somewhere Only We Know**

**Part I: The Rings**

She didn't understand.

Sure, the system had been established way before she was born, but she still didn't see the point in it. The whole finding your 'perfect match' idea by using these scientific created rings was just completely mind boggling if you asked her. Every citizen is given a ring at the age of eighteen, once graduated from high school. The ring takes into consideration your personality, likes, dislikes, and the way you are as a person. Once it is close in proximity to its matching pair, the ring glows brightly, alerting its owner of their so called soulmate.

She thought it was ridiculous.

Why couldn't she choose who to be with instead of having to be waiting around for this guy to show up? She would much rather learn about a person on her own and decide for herself if she likes them or not than basically being forced into a relationship with someone because they're compatible.

She wasn't the only one who thought this way either. But finding people who actually thought the system was wrong was like looking for a needle in a haystack. A lot of people preferred to have their future love life laid out for them since it was convenient and easy. She didn't care if it was convenient or easy.

She just wanted a choice.

So when she received her shiny silver band on her graduation day, it took everything in her not to throw it in the trash and light it on fire. It's against the law to not wear your ring, let alone set it ablaze. So she wore the stupid thing, but not on her hand. She decided to wear it as a necklace, hidden from everyone's view underneath her shirt.

Her parents always scolded her for not wearing it traditionally, but she just argued back that it's her life and she will do what she pleases. Plus, this way if she does find her future partner, she won't know it and she can continue living her life without the pressure of searching for that special person.

She decided that if she couldn't choose who to be with, then she wouldn't be with anyone at all.

So now two years have passed and she is still very much alone. She likes it that way, but she gets annoyed when the people in her life give her pitying looks. All of her friends have already found their matches and are happily arranging their future lives together. There's so much giggling, hugging, and kissing going around that every time she steps out of her apartment she feels like she's going to throw up.

It's sickening really.

The world is basically drowning in this lovey dovey state and it's driving her mad. Can't they see that love is not based on scientific compatibility? Love is supposed to be about what you _feel_. But that's what no one understands. Love does not come from facts, it comes from emotions.

She sighed as she continued to read her current book du jour, while the silence in her apartment blared inside her ears. She didn't care if she found her Match. She was perfectly fine the way she was.

She was alone. Always alone. And would forever be alone.

And she liked it.

... Sometimes.

~oOo~

"I just don't get it."

She was currently sitting with her friend Piper who was, yet again, lecturing her about the great invention that are the rings.

"Why do you hide your ring from everyone? How will you know when you find your Match?"

She hasn't told anyone her reasoning for wearing her ring the way she does. Although she feels strongly about her opinions, she also values her freedom. She's not sure if the way she's thinking is against the law, so she'd rather not take the risk of having someone tell the authorities and sending her butt in jail.

She shrugged. "I just don't like wearing stuff on my hands. I feel like I'd lose it."

Lie.

"And I'll find him when the time is right."

Lie again.

Piper frowned. "Almost everyone has already found their Match Anna, aren't you the least bit worried?"

She scowled. She hated her nicknames. No one ever called her by her birth name anymore. No matter how many times she reminded them, people still continued to shorten her name.

"I'm not worried Piper. I'll be fine."

"I just want you to be happy Anna," Piper said sadly. "Like Jason and I are."

She rolled her eyes. There were few times where she considered the rings really did find people's Match. Piper and Jason, for example, were perfect for each other. She has never seen two people who fit together so perfectly. They were both equally compatible and loved each other to the core.

Then there were people like her parents who were perfect for each other on paper, but not in soul. She mentally cringed at the way they interact with each other now compared to when she was a child.

"That's nice of you Piper," she said, "but you don't need to worry about me."

"Okay," Piper responded warily. "If you say so."

She nodded and continued looking through her large textbook for information on her research paper. The library wasn't overly packed today, which was nice since she liked silence. She was just about to call it a day when the library doors burst open with a loud thud.

Piper and her jumped in their seats and turned in time to see a boy stroll into the room on his skateboard.

Well, he wasn't much of a boy. He was tall, around six foot, with shaggy black hair that made him look like he just rolled out of bed. He wore baggy jeans that hung low on his hips, and a black t-shirt that had the sleeves ripped off and a band logo she didn't know of on the front.

He stopped at an area three tables down from hers and kicked his skateboard up. She took in his arms and his build and _Good Lord_, those _definitely_ did not belong to a boy. He wasn't overly muscular, but he looked strong and had a nice lean body. To basically sum it up, he was the most attractive guy she had ever seen.

"Who is that?" she asked to no one in particular.

"That's Percy Jackson" Piper answered. "People call him Riptide."

"Why do they call him that?"

"Because he rips his oponents to shreds" Piper explained. "And he apparently has a fascination with the ocean."

She raised her eyebrows. "Wait, what do you mean he rips his opponents to shreds?"

"Oh, he's a martial arts fighter."

Well... You don't hear _that_ every day.

She looked over Piper's shoulder to get another glance at Riptide, or Percy, or whatever the hell he called himself. He was slightly bobbing his head to the music in his headphones while drumming his pen on his textbook. She felt like a complete creep just blatantly staring at him, but she couldn't help it. She had never seen a guy like him before.

Suddenly, his posture stiffened and he looked up. His eyes locked with hers.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Green eyes.

The most beautiful pair of eyes that held a shade that can only be described as sea green. They were gorgeous. Beautiful. Entrancing.

And cold.

They were so cold that a shiver literally went through her body just looking at them. The colours in his iris' swirled and the expression on his face clearly said that he was annoyed. He raised an eyebrow at her in question and that's when she noticed the piercing.

_Dear God,_ he had a piercing on his eyebrow. The metal stud just added to his attractiveness by one thousand percent.

He was so sinfully gorgeous it hurt to breathe.

_God, get a freaking hold of yourself! _

She acted unfazed as she raised an eyebrow back.

Clearly miffed by her response, he narrowed his eyes.

She narrowed hers back.

Amusement filled his God worthy eyes as he smirked at her. He closed his textbook and got up from his table, sending her a wink before getting on his skateboard and riding out of the room.

"What. The hell. Was that?"

She flushed as Piper stared at her in utter disbelief. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Piper scoffed. "Yeah right Anna. You guys were totally checking each other out."

"I was not checking him out!" she protested. Even though she _totally_ was.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You should introduce yourself next time. You never know if he's your Match."

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. Percy Jackson was most certainly _not_ her Match.

Even though something deep inside her (way, _way_ deep) really wished he was.

~oOo~

She didn't know how she got convinced to go to this stupid thing.

Well, it may have been Thalia threatening to burn all her books if she didn't get out of her room and stop living like a hermit, but who's to say really?

She surveyed the room and sighed at the people mingling around, desperately looking for possible Match candidates. She was just _so_ bored. She could be doing something productive right now, like doing that essay for Mr. Williams that's due in two weeks. Or catch up on the last episodes of _Modern Family_. She could definitely use a laugh right about now.

She watched as a couple in the dark corner of the room started mauling each other like animals. She cringed at the sight.

"Disgusting isn't it?"

She jumped at the deep voice speaking so close to her ear.

Turning around, she came face to face with the one and only Percy Jackson. She thought she wouldn't see him again after that day at the library two weeks ago, but obviously she guessed wrong.

He wore yet another unknown band shirt with the sleeves ripped off. His jeans were dark and slightly baggy and his ever-present skateboard was hanging loosely on his right hand. He leaned against the counter she was sitting beside with a slight smirk on his face and his otherworldly eyes boring into hers.

She had to remind herself to breathe.

"What?" she asked breathlessly.

He quirked his head to the couple. "The little show over there. If you ask me, they should just get a room and fuck already. They're half way there anyways."

God, he's crude... Yet his voice is so deep and sexy it almost makes up for it.

Almost.

"So Library Girl," he said, taking a seat next to her, "what brings you to this hellhole on a fine night like tonight?"

"Forced by friends" she replied casually. "You?"

He grinned, and damn it if it wasn't a marvelous sight. "Same. They've been bugging me about finding my Match for a year now."

The statement triggered something in her. Hope? She really didn't know. "You don't have a Match?" It was a stupid thing to ask since he basically just said that he didn't.

_Way to make yourself look like a tool._

"Nope" he said, running his hands through his hair. "And even if I did find her tonight, she wouldn't know anyways."

"And why's that?"

He leaned in close, his breath hot on her cheek as he whispered in her ear, "I don't wear my ring."

She turned to him, bumping noses in the process. Her cheeks burned as he smirked at her. She noticed he wasn't going to move back so she got up from the chair and took a step away from him. "But that's against the law."

He took a step closer. "I know."

"Won't you get in trouble?" she asked, taking another step away.

He just retaliated by recuperating the step, backing her up against the corner of a wall. "Haven't been caught yet."

"Then why did you tell me?" She is truly curious about that. Jesus, she doesn't even know the guy and he's telling her his criminal offences. Albeit, not wearing your ring isn't murder, but it's still the law.

"Because you're different" he stated simply. Like that explained everything.

"Different how?"

He laughed, the sound was rich and earthy and _God_, she wanted to hear it again. "You sure do ask a lot of questions Library Girl."

"Annabeth."

He raised his eyebrow in question. The silver stud gleaming in the low light.

"My name's Annabeth. Not Anna, or Annie, or Beth, like everyone else calls me. Just, Annabeth."

"Annabeth." He said it slowly, as if deciding how to say it. "It fits you." Just then, his phone rang and he frowned at the message. He smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I gotta go. But..." He took a pen out of his pocket. Who the heck carried pens in their pockets? He grabbed her arm, his calloused hands wrapping around her wrist, and wrote a series of numbers down.

"Just in case you want to call me sometime." He said it so cockily, she just had to roll her eyes.

"I don't even know your name."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you already do." He then winked at her, put down his skateboard, and rolled out of sight.

She waited five days before she called him.

~oOo~

She swore that if he poked her one more time with that stupid pen of his, she was going to lose it.

Poke.

"That's it!" She grabbed her pillow and smacked him off the bed.

"Hey!" Percy wailed while getting up from the floor. "That hurt!"

"Good."

He pouted and despite her best effort, she couldn't help but laugh at his depressed face.

"Come on Annabeth" he complained while crushing her papers that were spread across her bed. "I'm bored. Can't we do something fun?"

Ever since the night at the single Matchless party, Percy made it his personal mission to be ingrained into Annabeth's life. Although he was annoying, arrogant, and acts like a child most of the time, she still loved having him around.

And she may have a slight (if not huge), crush on him.

"Fine" she sighed. "We can watch a movie or something."

"Yes!" he exclaimed. He quickly put in _Indiana Jones_. He always loved watching adventure films.

After five minutes of adjusting himself against the headrest of the bed, Percy sighed and wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her down against his chest. Her heart nearly exploded at the action. She had never been so close to him before.

"Can I ask you something?"

She looked up at him. He had his intense expression on. The one that made people steer clear from him, but she knew better. Behind that face, he was really just a softy. Though he'd never admit it.

"It's about your ring."

"What about it?" she asked, trying to get some distance from him. His arm wrapped around her tightened. She then felt his hand against the skin at the small of her back. His thumb moved in slow circles which she took as him trying to calm her down, but the action really just sent electric sparks through her body.

"Why do you hide it?"

"Why do you hide yours?"

He smirked. "I asked you first."

"Well, I asked you second" she argued.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll tell you my reasoning if you tell me yours."

"Fine" she sighed. She took a minute to collect her thoughts and finally answered, "I want to make my own choice."

"On what?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"On who I love. I don't want an inanimate object to tell me who I'm supposed to be with for the rest of my life. I want to make that decision on my own. I want freedom of choice and the ring takes that away from me. So I'd rather hide the stupid thing and live without love, than have it make a life changing decision for me."

He grinned widely and gave her this look that she could only identify as complete awe. "That's exactly how I feel."

Her eyes met his and despite everything she just said, she wondered. She wondered if he would be willing to get his ring, put it beside hers, and see of they would glow. She wouldn't mind if Percy were her soulmate. God, even if he wasn't she would still care for him the way she does.

She doesn't love him. Not yet anyways. But she's pretty sure she's getting there.

The months they've spent together have been the best she's ever experienced. Sure, he has his flaws, but so does she. He's become her best friend and she just wishes that maybe, just maybe, he could feel the same way she does.

"Could I see your ring?" She didn't mean to blurt it out like that, but... Well, now it's too late.

His eyes darkened. "No."

She pulled back from his embrace, surprised by his reaction. He doesn't stop her this time. "Why not?"

"Because." He then gave her a look that clearly stated the conversation was over.

So she turned towards the television and they watched the movie in tense silence.

It was half way through the film when she felt something warm wrapped around her hand. She looked down to find his hand tightly holding hers. He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, and she knew it was his way of apologizing, so she squeezed his hand back in response.

When she looked at him, he smiled. The dimple on his right cheek making an appearance.

Good Lord, he was going to be the death of her.

~oOo~

It was two months after she asked Percy about his ring when it happened.

She was waiting for Percy at their favourite coffee shop. He had a tournament that she couldn't go to because of her projects, but the text message she got from him that read: _WOOOOOO!, _with a bunch of smiling emojis made her conclude that he had won. Like always.

"Hey Annie."

She turned to find Luke Castellan, smiling brightly at her with a cup in his hand.

She hasn't seen Luke since high school and even then their interactions were brief. He was always a nice guy with many girls dreaming to be his Match. She had to admit that he was good looking with his sandy blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Not to mention he was clearly athletic and it showed with his muscular arms.

"Hi Luke. Long time no see."

"Yeah, it's been a while. What have you been up to lately?"

The sat down at a small table by the window, as she described to him how much she's enjoying university and her architecture classes. They catch up with what has happened to each of them over the years and she's glad that Luke is easy to talk to.

"So is this Percy guy your Match? You seem to talk about him a lot."

She blushed and was about to correct him when Percy himself takes the seat next to her.

"Hey Annabeth" he said, completely ignoring Luke's presence. "Sorry I'm so late, traffic was hell." He then wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tucked her in close to his body. He glanced at Luke with clear distaste. "Who's this?"

Luke smiled, oblivious to Percy's disinterest in him, and holds out his hand for him to shake. "Luke Castellan."

And that's when she saw it.

Luke's ring.

Glowing.

_Oh God._

Her hands trembled as she touched her necklace, pulled it out of her shirt, and sure enough, her ring glowed a brilliant silver. Luke looked at her. His eyes widening in shock and happiness. But all she could see was Percy.

His arm tensed as he unwrapped it from her shoulders. He looked at her with a mixture of sadness, anger, and... Longing? She couldn't tell. She just wanted to be away from this. Away from the coffee shop. Away from Luke. Away from the rings that taunted her with the fact that she would never be with the man she loved.

She would never be with Percy because she had found her Match.

And once you found your Match, you had to be with them.

Forever.

"Percy, I-" He stood up from the table before she could finish her sentence. He looked at her one last time, sighed, shook his head, and left the coffee shop without a word.

_I love you._

The words were trapped on the tip of her tongue. She didn't say them. She _couldn't_ say them. She was Luke's Match now. And _God_, did it hurt to realize she could never be with him. Not the way she wanted to be.

And the worst part of it all, was that he would never know the truth.

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**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys, long time no see. So if you're one of my followers I want you to remind you that I have not abandoned my other stories. I actually have written some things for them as well as started some new oneshots. I have not released them yet because well, they aren't finished and I want them to be good. Not half-assed. **

**So as for this story, Part II will be released when I have the chance to write it. I can make no promises on when it will be released. **

**Thank you for all of your support and reviews are appreciated. **

**Until next time!**


	2. Part II: The Reveal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. All rights to Rick.**

**Warning: Use of foul language and sexual content implied.**

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_Real love stories never have an ending_

_- Richard Bach_

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**Somewhere Only We Know**

**Part II: The Reveal**

She missed him.

She missed his smile, his laugh, his bright sea green eyes. She missed the way he would annoy her to no end one minute and act like a five year old the next. She missed the warmth she'd receive when he hugged her and the butterflies that would inhabit her stomach when he'd give her an intense look. She missed the way his eyebrow would raise, making the small silver stud gleam in the light. She missed the dimple on his right cheek that would only appear when his grin spread from ear to ear.

She missed _everything_ about him.

She just wanted him. Percy. Her best friend. Her love. Her _true_ soulmate. But thanks to the rings, she now belongs to another.

"Annie? Are you listening?"

She shook her head and looked at Luke who was eyeing her with a worried expression. "Yes, I was. Keep going."

"Are you sure? You seem a little out of it."

"I'm fine."

She was so far from fine.

She hasn't seen Percy in almost a month. She's called, texted, went over to his apartment, but he's nowhere to be found. She even went to his cousin Nico to ask if he's seen him and if he's okay. Nico just gave her a sympathetic look and said, "Sorry Annabeth, I can't tell you where he is. But I promise you he's doing fine."

It was official. He was avoiding her.

And boy did it hurt.

"Okay well, as I was saying" Luke continued, "I thought that we could get married by next spring. What do you think?"

Yes, she was marrying Luke. A few days ago he proposed after spending almost every moment with her for the past month. It's not that she didn't like Luke. She did. He was nice, sweet, caring, attractive, and loved her without question.

She was just in love with somebody else.

And as he went down on one knee, all she could see was a man with black, shaggy hair and the most captivating eyes, willing her to accept. So she did, and when Luke hugged her instead of Percy, she cried. Luke thought they were tears of joy. She let him believe it.

"I think that's great" she replied, her voice completely hollow. When she glanced at Luke's face, the clear happiness that was displayed became too much for her to handle. Luke deserved someone who loved him back. "Um, you know what Luke? I actually am feeling sort of under the weather. How about we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Oh, of course. Do you want me to drive you back to your place?"

She shook her head. "No that's okay, I'll walk. I need the fresh air anyways."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."

He kissed her cheek before she left and she tried not to cringe away from him. His sweetness only added to her guilt.

She usually liked walking outside with the crisp breeze fanning her face and the warm sun shining down on her. But it just didn't feel the same. She hated to admit the fact, but nothing was the same without Percy. She felt like one of those overly obsessed girlfriends who cling even tighter when you try to shove them away. The sad part of it all was that she wasn't even his girlfriend.

Anger started boiling inside of her at the thought.

She needed to grow some lady balls and get the fuck over him. They weren't even in a relationship and she's acting like they've been happily married for twenty years. For Christ's sake, he was avoiding her! If that didn't scream 'I don't want anything to do with you' then she didn't know what would.

So if he never wanted to see her again, then it was fine by her. She had a fiance now and he was very nice, and sweet, and caring, and-

_It's not the same._

She let out a frustrated sigh as she turned the corner of a convenience store. She did a double take when she saw the flyer, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process.

**MARTIAL ARTS SHOWCASE ON JUNE 3, 2014 AT 3:30PM: MAY THE BEST FIGHTER WIN**

Hope sprung in her chest. She remembered Percy talking about some big tournament that he was training for. This had to be the one.

She quickly wrote down the address and rushed home to change. This was her big chance. If Percy was anywhere in this city, it was at this showcase. And this time, she was going to make sure to talk to him.

So much for moving on.

~oOo~

There was some sort of grace to the way he fought.

It was almost like he was going through the steps of a harsh dance. And every punch, kick, and flip was choreographed to demonstrate so much power, strength, and agility, that you couldn't help but just stare at him in awe.

That wasn't the case today.

After she bought her ticket, Annabeth immediately spotted Percy in a very intense fight with a guy who was nearly twice his size. It was the last round in the championship match and she could tell by the way Percy's shoulders moved up and down and the way he held his stance that he was dead tired.

He did a quick combination of punches and kicks, but his opponent was just too fast. In a flash, the guy blindsided Percy with an impressive set of jabs and crosses, allowing him to sweep Percy off his feet and onto the ground. His opponent won the match, and Percy looked pissed.

"That's the third time Riptide's hasn't won first place" commented one of the older men sitting beside her.

"He must be losing his touch" replied the colleague to his right.

"If he doesn't get his head back in it, he's never going to win another title again. His moves were sloppy at best."

She wanted to smack some sense into these spectators and tell them where to go. Percy's the best fighter in this whole damn place and if they didn't see that then they can just shove it.

But she had to admit that something was different. His eyes didn't gleam in that competitive way when he stared at his opponent. His attacks weren't as swift and powerful as they used to be. Instead, he looked almost robotic, like he was just going through the motions.

That wasn't like Percy at all.

She decided to wait for him near the changerooms, but after fifteen minutes of just standing there and playing pointless games on her phone, she was beginning to lose her patience. So she asked one of the volunteers that were passing by if they've seen Percy anywhere and he responded with, "Yeah, Riptide's in the training room near the back of the arena. I think he's letting off some steam after that nasty loss today."

She ran to the direction of the training room and sure enough, Percy was there pounding his fists against a punching bag. She quietly opened the door as he continued to let out everything he had to the defenseless object. He was breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath while leaning against the bag. She had to pinch herself so that she could stop staring at his shirtless back. The man was sexy enough as it was, did he really need to go around half naked?

"Nice moves."

He jumped and turned around. His sea-green eyes widened in shock as he stared at her.

_Really? A month apart and all you've got to say is 'Nice moves'?_

He just continued staring at her, which made her shift uncomfortably. "Uh, yeah so... How have you been?" she rambled. "'Cause, you know we haven't seen each other in a long time and-"

"Annabeth."

"I get that you may be busy with a lot of things and stuff-"

"_Annabeth_."

"But I just wanted to see how you are-"

"Annabeth!"

"What?!"

He grinned at her and _God_, her knees nearly gave out right there. "You're rambling."

"Am I?" She felt the heat spread from her neck to her cheeks.

He nodded and his smile faded. He sighed. "What are you doing here Annabeth?"

Well, he clearly still didn't want to talk to her. She didn't care though. She's been trying to get in contact with him for the past month and she was not going to leave him alone until they fixed whatever it was that had created a barrier between them. "I missed you."

His eyes looked pained as he turned his gaze away from her.

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't been-"

"Bullshit" she growled. She was not taking that crap from him. "I've called, texted, visited your apartment and received zero response from you Percy. What the fuck is the matter with you? Why haven't you responded back?"

Christ, she sounded needy, but she couldn't really give two shits. He had really driven her over the edge with this.

"I didn't want to hang around you anymore, alright!" he snapped.

Her heart shattered. He really did hate her. "Why?" she whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder her voice would show her heartbreak.

"Because." Oh hell no. That 'Because' crap was not going to work on her today.

"Because why?" she pressed.

"Because I..." he trailed off. He turned away from her and started punching the bag again. Her anger rose. If he thought he could just ignore her he had another thing coming.

She threw one of the many boxing gloves at his head. "Tell my why Percy!" He didn't respond so she kept throwing gloves at him and yelled, "God dammit Percy! Stop being an asshole and tell me why-"

"Because I'm in love with you!"

She stopped mid-throw and dropped the glove that was in her hand.

Her mouth hung open in shock and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

He was in love with...

"What?" she squeeked, her voice cracking.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked so vulnerable all she wanted to do was run up to him and give him the largest bear hug in existence. Maybe even kiss him. Okay, not maybe. _Definitely_ kiss him.

"I'm in love with you Annabeth Chase." He said it so surely it made her heart soar. "And the moment when you had found your Match was probably the worst moment of my whole life. I couldn't stand the thought of you being with someone else- _loving_ someone else besides me. So I never responded back to you because... Well, because it just hurt too damn much to even look at you anymore."

"Oh, Percy..."

"It's my own fault I suppose." He laughed bitterly. "I should have just shown you my ring when you asked me, and then maybe we would have been each others Matches. I just... I was just scared Annabeth. I was scared that if I showed you my ring, it wouldn't glow. But I should have. And now I regret it every minute of every single day."

His shoulders slumped as he glared at the floor. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this. It's too late anyways. You're Puke's Match now."

Despite his sorrowful tone, she couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face. "It's Luke."

He shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure it's Puke." She laughed and his lips quirked up.

"He does make me feel like I want to throw up" she conceded.

"Must be his cologne" he suggested. "I swear I almost choked from it when I entered the coffee shop that day. I don't even want to know what he's trying to hide under all of that."

She laughed again and this time he joined her. How they could go from a serious conversation to being total goofs in a matter of seconds was beyond her. Everything with him was so easy.

He looked at her and their eyes locked, just like the first day she met him. She could tell he was thinking the same thing because he raised his pierced eyebrow at her. She raised hers back. He narrowed his eyes. She did the same. He smiled at her, but this one was different from all the rest he had given her. This one was affectionate, caring, and full of love.

"I love you."

His eyes darkened. "Please don't say that."

"But it's true."

"No. Annabeth, please don't." It looked as if her declaration had physically hurt him. "You don't want me. I'm nothing compared to the person you deserve. I can't offer you anything. The rings were right. You should be with someone like Luke."

She was officially ready to beat him with a stick. "Are you serious right now?"

He just looked away from her in response.

"No, Percy. You have no _fucking right_ to tell me what I do or do not deserve. Not to mention, no one makes decisions for me! Not you! Not the rings! Not _anyone_! If I want to love you, then so help me God I'm going to love you with everything I have and there is absolutely nothing you or anyone can say that is going to stop me!"

He stared at her in utter disbelief. She was just so Goddamn angry. Her frustration from the past month spilled out of her and damn it, it felt good to let everything she was harboring go.

"So I love you Percy Jackson. And if I ever hear you say that I shouldn't again, then you better pray to every God in this freaking universe because I will honestly beat the crap out of you."

She was breathing heavily once she had finished her rant. The ball was on his court now. So she waited for him to respond.

One minute passed.

Then two.

After what felt like an eternity, he marched up to her, determination gleaming in his eyes. He stopped in front of her. Her breath caught at being so close to his exposed form. She looked at his face and he smirked at her, as if knowing what she was thinking.

He grabbed her face with both hands, looked into her eyes, and crushed his lips with hers.

She didn't know how a person could feel so much with such a simple gesture, but _God Almighty_, if she could feel this way every second she wouldn't hesitate to take the chance.

His lips were warm, and firm, and they moved with so much passion she couldn't stop herself from reciprocating the feeling. Not that she wanted to stop. Because kissing Percy Jackson was a blessing in itself. A blessing that she wanted to keep for her and her alone.

Their mouths moved in perfect synchronization, even when Percy backed her up against the wall. He softly bit her bottom lip before separating completely and kissing down her neck. She involuntarily let out a quiet moan when he sucked against a sensitive spot near her ear. Her fingers dug into his bare back and he growled appreciatively.

"Why do you have to be so Goddamn hot when you're angry?" he whispered, his breath hot and ragged near her ear.

"It's a talent I guess" she replied while pulling his face back to hers and kissing him all over again. "Say it Percy" she mumbled against his lips.

"I love you." His arms wrapped around her waist, squishing her against his chest. Her hands went to his hair, feeling the silky strands beneath her fingertips. A sound of need hummed through his throat.

"Again."

He pulled back and looked at her. His eyes sparkling. "I love you, Annabeth. All of you. Every single thing about you. You're it for me."

"You're it for me too" she blushed.

He kissed her pink cheek as they held each other. He nuzzled her neck and mumbled against her skin, "Come home with me."

She suppressed the urge to say that by being in his arms, she was already home.

~oOo~

Warm skin.

Ragged breaths.

Love filled kisses.

And fireworks, exploding behind her eyelids.

~oOo~

She had never felt so happy in her entire life.

The man she loved, loved her back. Percy was hers, and she was his. She smiled against his chest while continuing to draw patterns into his skin with her fingertips.

His arm was wrapped around her, tucking her into the left side if his body. His hand moved up and down her bare back in a soothing motion that made her eyes instantly close. She sighed contentedly.

"What are you thinking about?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. His other arm was behind his head, a soft smile gracing his lips. His mouth was too tempting, so she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "You" she responded. "What are _you_ thinking about?"

He grinned, his dimple showing. "How beautiful you are. And how much I love you." She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, completely in sync with her own.

Then, as fast as lightning, he turned them over and leaned over top of her. He trapped both her arms with his and kissed all over her face. Her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, her chin. She laughed as she squirmed underneath him. He nuzzled her neck affectionately.

"I swear, you're like a cat in the morning."

He laughed against her skin and looked down at her. She pushed the hair out of his eyes, getting lost in them yet again. She skimmed her fingers over his piercing and he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers.

"What are we going to do now Percy?"

His eyes opened. The irises changing from a calm sea to a raging storm. "You're not getting away from me, that's for sure."

She put her hands behind his neck and placed his mouth against hers, kissing him long and slow. Once she pulled away, his eyes softened. "I'm yours Percy. Only yours."

"And I'm yours, Annabeth" he smiled.

"So since we're officially together now," she did a mental happy dance at the thought, "we need to form a plan since the rings have placed me with someone else."

He paused for a moment, then looked at her with a newfound determination in his eyes. "Run away with me."

Shock rippled through her. "What?"

"Run away with me, Annabeth" he repeated.

"I don't know Percy..."

"Look," he said, positioning himself to lay beside her, "we don't have that many options here. One, we could come out as a couple and risk being separated from each other by the authorities and then you'd have to go through with your engagement to Luke. Two, we don't do anything and sneak around, but then you'd still have to marry Luke. Or three, we run away to a place where the rings won't affect us."

"Well, I see your point, but- Hey wait a second. How did you know I was engaged to Luke? That happened just a few days ago!"

He cringed. "I may or may not have called Piper a few times to ask how you've been doing for the past month."

She glared at him. "We'll talk about that later. Anyways, I see what you're saying Percy, but if we're going to do this then we'll have to leave everything behind. We won't see our friends again. We'll have to find new jobs. We'll have to search for a new place to live. It's a lot of sacrifices and-"

He interrupted her with a searing kiss. The kind that made her toes curl and her stomach do acrobatics. He pulled back after a minute, his lips barely touching hers. "I'll do anything to be with you. You're all I care about."

God, he really needed to stop saying stuff like that or else she'd never win an argument.

His hand traveled along her side, softly caressing near her ribs before stopping at her hip. She shivered and scowled as he grinned at her. "Okay," she sighed. "I'll run away with you."

His eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah. Now kiss me before I change my mind."

He climbed back on top of her and kissed her fiercely. She closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and drifted off to complete bliss.

~oOo~

They had made it.

It took them longer than expected, but with the help of Piper and Nico, they were able to make it out of the city. And eventually, the country.

It was definitely hard, as Annabeth had figured, but they were both very determined and stubborn people. So after years or working hard and building everything they had from nothing, they were finally in a safe, stable, and free environment where they could be together without question.

She had said goodbye to Piper before they had left so long ago and told her that they may never see each other again. Piper cried. Annabeth cried. Despite the circumstances they promised to remain friends, even if it could only be in their hearts.

Percy's only family was Nico and Annabeth will admit that seeing them depart ways broke her heart. She felt so selfish to tear him away from his only family, but he assured her that they would see each other again one day. Nico would try to find them when the hype of their disappearance was blown over. She just hoped he was right.

It didn't feel right to leave Luke without any explanation, especially since he had been nothing but nice to her. So she wrote him the briefest letter explaining how amazing of a person he was, but that she just couldn't love him the way he wanted her to. She apologized profusely, but even she knew that giving him a vague explanation would still hurt him immensely.

She still feels guilty about it.

On a (very) positive note, she's with Percy. The man she adores. The man she cares for. The man she loves.

And this time, there would be no rings, no Match, and no system to stop them from being together. Because they complete each other. They belong together. They are one.

And at the end of the day, what's most important is that they love each other. Their love survived all of their past anger, sadness, and struggles that now, they can live completely at peace with one another.

Sure, there were moments when Percy came home late and she thought that they've finally been found. That the authorities are about to burst into their home any second and separate them for good. But after years of worrying they never do, and she finally accepts that they're safe.

She looked around her apartment and sighed. They had moved to the new building nearly a year ago, but the place had already started to become too small. Especially with the knowledge she carried about what would occur in a few months time.

She heard the front door open and smiled as Percy walked up to greet her. "Hello beautiful," he said, kissing her cheek. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah I am" she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. "How was work?"

"Good as always." He scooped her up in his arms and plopped them both on the couch. "All of them passed their belt exams today."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, I'm really happy for them." Percy was now teaching martial arts to young kids every Tuesday to Friday. It made Annabeth's heart leap every time he talked about his work. And the large ecstatic grin he'd wear when he'd speak of his students made him look like a proud father.

Her heart did an extra somersault at the thought.

"So," he said, prolonging the word, "I was thinking of taking you out to dinner tonight."

"Really? What's the occasion?"

"No reason. Just want to take you out and spend some time with you." He started scratching behind his ear, a habit he only had when he was either nervous or hiding something from her.

"Alright" she agreed warily. "Where are we going?"

"Uh, to that Greek place you like so much."

Her eyes widened. "Elysium?! But that place is so expensive!" He started scratching again. "Percy... What is this about?"

He stood up from the couch. "Nothing, Annabeth. I'm just going to take a shower while you get dressed. The reservation is for eight so we better hurry."

As much as she loved that he wanted to take her on a special dinner, the thought of food made her think of the morning. She had woken up sick to her stomach and she's pretty sure that half of her organs are now in a better place. Not to mention, the morning had also brought on unexpected news that she had to share with him. The longer she prolonged it, the more anxious she became.

"Percy, is there any way we can cancel the reservation and go another night?"

His head whipped back at her. "But... I've been planning this for months."

She raised her eyebrow in question. "You've been planning this dinner for _months_?"

"_Whaaaat_? No! I was just messing with you. Of course I wasn't. Why would I say that? I have dinner with you every night, so there's really absolutely no reason as to why I would be planning such a thing. You're so silly, Annabeth."

She stared at him.

He blushed and looked at everywhere except her, scratching behind his ear yet again. If he kept doing that, his ear might eventually fall off.

"Okay... Well, after this morning I'm just not really up for eating anything besides some soda crackers and juice." She took a deep breath before continuing. "And besides, I have something I need to tell you."

He immediately sat down next to her. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

His concern was adorable. Especially when his eyebrows would get all scrunched together.

"I'm fine Percy. I just have some big news."

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

She took a calming breath and looked into his sea green eyes as she said, "I'm pregnant."

He didn't say anything. He just stared at her with his eyes as wide as saucers and his mouth slightly hanging open.

After a minute of utter silence, he stood up from the couch and started pacing back and forth in front if her. "I can't believe you beat me."

"What?" Now she was just confused. This was not what she's imagined he'd say after knowing that he's going to be a father. "What are you talking about?"

"I thought my news was going to be the highlight of tonight, but yours just blew mine out of the water. It was going to be awesome with the food, and the atmosphere, and you wouldn't even suspect a thing. But finding out that we're having a baby is probably the most exciting thing that's ever happened to us!"

Her head was getting dizzy with all of his rambling. "Wait, what was so important that you had to tell me over dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants in all the city?"

Percy looked at her, and it seemed as if he was contemplating on whether or not to tell her, but eventually gave in. He went down on one knee in front of her and that's when she knew for certain what he was planning to do tonight. She nearly had a heart attack when her suspicion was confirmed once he pulled out a dark blue box from his pocket.

"I've had this for a while now" he said sheepishly, a nervous smile spreading across his face. "I didn't mean to make you wait for so long, but I just wanted everything to be perfect and memorable for you because well, you're the love of my life, Annabeth."

She just stared at him in shock as he opened the small box containing a simple silver ring with three diamonds in the center of it. The middle one larger than the others.

"From the first day I saw you in that library, I knew you were special. Because of my reputation no one even dared to look at me, let alone have a staring contest against me." She laughed at the memory and he smiled. "And after talking to you for the first time, I knew that we belonged together. I was a goner from the start, Annabeth."

Tears blinded her vision as he took her hand in his and placed a gentle kiss at the top of it.

"You've been there for me since the beginning and your belief in me fascinates me to no end. I love how caring, determined, courageous, intelligent, kindhearted, compassionate, trusting, and beautiful you are. But most of all, I love that out of all the people in this world, you chose to love me. And I promise you that for the rest of my life, I will treasure your love as well as yourself... And our little Percy Jr."

Okay, she was definitely crying now. She blamed it on the pregnancy hormones.

He wiped a tear that was trailing down her cheek. "So Annabeth, if you'll allow it, I vow to protect you, care for you, and love you for the rest of eternity. Will you please do me the honor of being my wife?"

She could only nod before tackling him to the floor and kissing the daylights out of him. He laughed as she kissed every part of his face. "God, I love you so much."

"So I'm guessing my speech was alright then?"

She grinned down at him. "It was better than alright. And for the record, this was way better than doing it in a restaurant. I don't think they would have appreciated me making out with my new fiancé on the floor."

"Probably not." He tucked the loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear. "But I certainly wouldn't mind."

He then pulled her face down to his and kissed her, but not before slipping the silver ring onto her finger.

She already knew that she wouldn't mind wearing this new ring because unlike her last one, it symbolizes her choice. Her choice on how she decided to live her life and who she believed her true soulmate really was.

And as she gazed into those hauntingly beautiful green eyes that captured her attention so long ago, she knew she had made the right choice.

_**Fin.**_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I hope you guys enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for all your kind words and for giving my story a chance. You're all wonderful and please don't hesitate to read my other stories. **

**Until next time!**

**P.S. You may have noticed that I haven't put this story under 'Completed'... Well, stay tuned because there may be a reason why. ;) **


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